Awareness Of Glaucoma Research Articles

Awareness and Knowledge of Glaucoma Among the Diabetic Population of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Awareness and Knowledge of Glaucoma Among the Diabetic Population of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Profile of Glaucoma Patients at a Tertiary Care Centre in Gokarneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by irreversible optic nerve damage and progressive visual field loss. It is the second leading cause of global irreversible blindness. The objective of this study was to find the prevalence, clinical profile and distribution of various types of glaucoma in patients attending a tertiary care center of Kathmandu. This was a retrospective, descriptive hospital based study conducted at glaucoma clinic at tertiary care center from March 2022 to February 2024 (24 months). Patients’ demographic profile along with comprehensive eye examination findings were reviewed from the records. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 18 and chi-square test was used for analysis. P value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Two hundred and four patients were diagnosed with glaucoma during 2 years period. The Mean age among glaucoma patients was 55.12 ± 16.7 years. Female was common 109 (53.4%) than male 95 (46.6%). Open angle was 185 (90.7%) and close angle was 19 (9.3%) on gonioscopy. Prevalence of glaucoma seen in this study was 0.72% of total outpatients (27,970). Among the glaucoma patients, primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) was more common 84 (41.2%) followed by glaucoma suspect 46 (22.5%), normal tension glaucoma (NTG) 26 (12.7%), primary angle closure disease 19 (9.4%), ocular hypertension (OHT) 12 (5.9%), secondary glaucoma 9 (4.4%) and juvenile open angle glaucoma (JOAG) 8 (3.9%). In primary angle closure disease, primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) was 10 (4.9%), angle closure attack 5 (2.5%) and primary angle closure suspect (PACS) 4 (2%). The most common secondary glaucoma was pigmentary glaucoma 3 (1.5%) followed by steroid induced glaucoma 2 (1%), neovascular glaucoma 2 (1%) and inflammatory glaucoma 2 (1%). The most common type of glaucoma seen in a tertiary care center of Nepal was POAG. Glaucoma was more prevalent in female patients after forty years. The prevalence of glaucoma increases with increasing age. So, the patients above the age of 40 should be screened for glaucoma for early detection and prompt treatment. Awareness of glaucoma is needed as it is one of the leading causes of blindness.

Awareness and knowledge of glaucoma among adult patients of primary open-angle glaucoma at the outpatient department of ophthalmology of a tertiary care center in Western India: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study

Abstract Background: This cross-sectional study, conducted at a tertiary eye care center between January 2016 and January 2018, aimed to assess the awareness and knowledge of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) among patients aged 18 years and above. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Diagnosed cases of POAG were included. A well-structured questionnaire, validated by ophthalmologists, was administered to assess awareness and knowledge. Demographic data were collected initially, and subsequent questions determined awareness and knowledge scores. A total score of <50% indicated poor awareness and knowledge, 50%–75% indicated fair, and more than 75% indicated good. Results: Out of 972 participants, 67.6% were males, and 32.4% were females. No significant correlation was found between awareness/knowledge and age or gender (P > 0.05). However, a statistically significant correlation was observed between education status and both awareness and knowledge (P < 0.05). Overall, the majority of patients demonstrated fair awareness (50%–75%) and knowledge of glaucoma. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the awareness and knowledge of POAG among a diverse patient population. The fair overall awareness and knowledge highlight the need for targeted educational interventions, particularly among individuals with lower education levels. The findings contribute to our understanding of glaucoma awareness in clinical settings, emphasizing the importance of tailored education strategies to enhance public health outcomes in glaucoma management.

Awareness and knowledge of glaucoma among the patients attending a tertiary eye hospital with and without glaucoma diagnosis

Background: Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness, remains under-recognized in many regions, including Bangladesh. This study aimed to assess the awareness and knowledge of glaucoma among the patients attending a tertiary eye hospital with and without glaucoma diagnosis. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 individuals attending deep eye care foundation, Rangpur, from April 2023 to September 2023. Informed consent was obtained from eligible participants over 18 years. The questionnaire, available in both English and Bengali, collected demographic data and included questions on glaucoma awareness and knowledge. Data were analysed using SPSS 25, and the chi-square test was applied to determine statistical significance. Results: Among the participants, 34.7% had heard of glaucoma, with doctors/hospitals being the primary source of information. Awareness varied significantly based on age, residency, education, occupation, and income levels. Among those aware of glaucoma, 59.6% had poor knowledge, 33.7% had average knowledge, and only 6.7% had good knowledge. No significant association was found between glaucoma patients and non-glaucoma patients regarding knowledge level. Conclusions: This study revealed a substantial gap in glaucoma awareness and knowledge in Bangladesh. While a notable portion of the population had heard of glaucoma, their understanding of the condition was limited, emphasizing the need for targeted awareness campaigns and improved access to eye care services. Addressing these gaps is crucial for early diagnosis, treatment, and preventing irreversible blindness while reducing the economic burden associated with glaucoma-related healthcare costs.

Awareness and knowledge of glaucoma among workers in a missionary hospital in Nigeria

Awareness and knowledge of glaucoma among workers in a missionary hospital in Nigeria

Knowledge of Glaucoma Among New Patients to a Tertiary Eye Care Center in China.

Glaucoma patients who had previously been evaluated by eye care professionals at lower-level facilities possessed limited awareness and knowledge about their condition upon presentation to a tertiary care ophthalmic hospital, highlighting the need for improved patient education throughout the health care system. To investigate the depth of knowledge about glaucoma among patients who were referred to a tertiary eye hospital for their first visit. An internally-designed questionnaire (scored 0-15) assessing patients' knowledge about glaucoma was administered at a glaucoma outpatient service. Patients were divided into normal, high-risk, and glaucoma groups based on comprehensive eye evaluation. Scores were analyzed by regression models. The relationship between glaucoma awareness and the stage of disease at presentation was explored. One hundred and thirty patients were enrolled and divided into three groups. The group with definitive diagnosis of glaucoma had the most prior medical visits but scored the lowest, with the primary source of information being previous health care providers. The high-risk group possessed more knowledge about glaucoma than the other groups and tended to acquire knowledge from the media and sought tertiary care earlier. Significant differences were observed between the glaucoma and the high-risk groups in all aspects of glaucoma knowledge (P < 0.05). Additionally, the average scores of all participants who had visited lower-level facilities were low. Education, economic status, presence of risk factors for glaucoma positively correlated with awareness and knowledge, whereas age had an inverse relationship (all P < 0.05). Ophthalmic visit frequency had no impact (P > 0.05). Doctors were the primary source of information for all groups, but social media users were better informed. Patients at tertiary eye care centers lack glaucoma knowledge, despite experience with eye care providers previously. Implementing health education at all levels is crucial in preventing glaucoma-related visual impairment.

Impact of Demographics on Regional Visual Field Loss and Deterioration in Glaucoma.

To elucidate the impact of demographics, including gender, race, ethnicity, and preferred language, on regional visual field (VF) loss and progression in glaucoma. Multivariable linear mixed regressions were performed to determine the impact of race, ethnicity, and preferred language on regional VF loss with adjustment for age and gender. Regional VF loss was defined by pointwise total deviation values and VF loss patterns quantified by an unsupervised machine learning method termed archetypal analysis. All cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed both without and with adjustment for VF mean deviation, which represented overall VF loss severity. P values were corrected for multiple comparisons. All results mentioned had corrected P values less than 0.05. Asian and Black patients showed worse pointwise VF loss than White patients with superior hemifield more affected. Patients with a preferred language other than English demonstrated worse pointwise VF loss than patients with English as their preferred language. Longitudinal analyses revealed Black patients showed worse VF loss/year compared to White patients. Patients with a preferred language other than English demonstrated worse VF loss/year compared to patients preferring English. Blacks and non-English speakers have more severe VF loss, with superior hemifield being more affected and faster VF worsening. This study furthered our understanding of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in glaucoma outcomes. Understanding the VF loss burden in different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups may guide more effective glaucoma screening and community outreach efforts. This research could help reduce vision loss and improve quality of life in disproportionately affected populations by guiding public health efforts to promote glaucoma awareness and access to care.

Public awareness about common ocular diseases among a sample of Egyptian population

Background Globally, the most common causes of blindness in adults are cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. Inadequate knowledge of these conditions leads to lag in medical advice requisition, losing the opportunity for prevention and early intervention with an increased rate of disease complications. Aim This study aimed to detect the level of public awareness about common eye problems in Egypt to help build strategies to prevent complications related to these eye problems. Patients and methods This is a prospective cross-sectional analytical study that used a pre-tested e-questionnaire to collect data from the study participants during the period from September 2022 to June 2023 at Kasr Alainy School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt. A Google form was created, and participants were invited through social media. It included four sections: socio-demographic characteristics, medical history of study participants, knowledge about common ocular diseases, and sources of gaining knowledge. Results The study included 802 participants, 54.2% of them were females, more than 55% of them were between the ages of 18–30 years, and 74.4% were university graduates. Awareness of cataracts, glaucoma, corneal opacity, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration was reported in 45.7, 34.8, 38.3, 80, and 77.5% of the study participants, respectively. Physicians and social media were the most common efficient sources of gaining knowledge. Higher education and working in a medical profession, especially physicians and pharmacists were associated with higher knowledge scores. Conclusion Low levels of knowledge of most of the blinding conditions among the study participants raise the importance of adopting health education programs by our healthcare systems taking into consideration that physicians and social media were among the most convenient routes to reach the targeted population.

Awareness of glaucoma among adult patients attending hawassa university comprehensive specialized hospital ophthalmic outpatient department, Sidama, Ethiopia, August 2022

BackgroundDue to the asymptomatic nature of the disease and lack of awareness, most glaucoma patients present for eye examination late, after significant damage of optic nerve occur. Being aware of glaucoma is important for timely diagnosis of the disease and preventing blindness from it.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess glaucoma awareness and associated factors among adult patients aged 35 and over attending the eye outpatient department.MethodsHospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 284 adult patients aged 35 and over attending ophthalmic outpatient department from July to August 2022 using systematic random sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were checked for completeness, and then entered to SPSS version 22 software. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Independent variables with p-value ≤ 0.05 in multivariate logistic regression were considered as statistically significant.ResultsAbout 284 study participants, of whom 57.75% were male, participated in this study with a response rate of 94.1%. The mean age of the study participants was 53.58 years. Only 39.09%(95% CI: 36.53–41.65) were aware of glaucoma. Age groups 46–50 [AOR; 1.83: 1.18, 2.56] and 51–64 [AOR; 3.21: 2.03, 4.39], having college education or above [AOR; 3.1: 2.20, 6.64], family member with glaucoma [AOR; 5.86:3.25, 8.0], income 6500 ETB [AOR; 2.9: 1.97, 5.00] and previous eye examination [AOR; 2.15: 1.46, 4.05] were factors significantly associated with awareness of glaucoma. The main sources of information were news media, family members with glaucoma and health workers.ConclusionMore than half (60.91%) of adult ophthalmic patients attending HUCSH were unaware of glaucoma and need eye health education concerning glaucoma.

Glaucoma Screening among Relatives of Glaucoma Patients in Anambra State, Nigeria

Aim: To determine the awareness, attitude, and practice of glaucoma screening among adult first degree relatives of glaucoma patients in Anambra State, Nigeria. Study Design: A prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional survey. Place of Study: Eye clinics and community eye care out-reaches that offer primary, secondary, and tertiary eye care services to people within Anambra state, Nigeria. Methods: A pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information such as sociodemographic data, awareness and knowledge of glaucoma and the frequency of practice of glaucoma screening. These were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi square test and logistic regression) where applicable. Level of significance was set at a p-value &lt;0.05. Results: A total of 186 first degree relatives (FDRs) of glaucoma patients participated, 120 (59.1%) were females, M: F = 1:1.4 and a mean age 43.87 years ± 14.62 SD. Almost half had a secondary level of education and were traders. Majority (83.9%) and 39.8% had heard of glaucoma and glaucoma screening respectively in the past. However, only 23.7% had been screened for glaucoma. The main reasons respondents gave why they did not screen for glaucoma include 'not necessary', 'no time' and ' not affordable. There was a significant negative relationship between unemployment and poor glaucoma screening practice p=0.007. Conclusion: This study showed a generally poor knowledge, attitude and practices towards glaucoma screening in the study population. Stakeholders need to intensify efforts to make people understand glaucoma risk factors and appreciate the need to have glaucoma screening in their environments.

Tackling the Silent Thief of Sight: Assessing Glaucoma Awareness, Knowledge, and Risk of Prevalence in Karachi

Background: The objective of the study was to assess understanding of glaucoma awareness and knowledge, alongside the prevalence of glaucoma and associated risk factors among the general population of Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: This cross-sectional survey-based study determined a sample size of 384 using a z-test score at a 95% confidence interval with a margin of error of 0.05. Data were collected via questionnaire over approximately six months. Basic statistical techniques, including frequency and percentage calculations using MS Excel version 2016, were employed for data analysis. Results: Five hundred individuals participated in the survey. Glaucoma awareness was noted in 56% of respondents, with 9.6% having a confirmed diagnosis of glaucoma. Higher education, positive family history of glaucoma, and previous eye tests were significantly associated with glaucoma awareness. Media served as the primary source of glaucoma information. Higher education correlated with better glaucoma understanding, while increasing age, exposure to high-intensity light, and associated disorders were linked to a higher glaucoma prevalence. Conclusion: Glaucoma, a common eye ailment, can lead to blindness. Training medical personnel to identify symptoms and expanding public knowledge and treatment options are crucial to reducing its occurrence. Raising awareness and providing free medical care to the underprivileged can significantly enhance quality of life.

Glaucoma awareness, anxiety and its impact on patients undergoing visual field testing and optical coherence tomography.

To assess the effect of Glaucoma awareness, knowledge, and anxiety on patients under visual field analysis by Humphrey's visual field analyzer (HFA) and optical coherence tomography(OCT). This prospective comparative cohort study included glaucoma patients undergoing HFA (Group A)(n = 150) and OCT(Group B) (n = 150). Each group consisted of 75 newly diagnosed patients and 75 patients who were on follow-up. Participants completed State trait anxiety inventory form Y2(STAI) before and after the test to assess pre-test and intra-test anxiety. Another validated and structured questionnaire was used to assess patient awareness and knowledge of glaucoma. Anxiety scores were used to make correlations and comparisons between the two groups and also against visual field reliability indices. The impact of awareness on anxiety scores and its correlation with reliability indices were also determined. Overall pretest and intratest anxiety scores in patients undergoing HFA were 52.39(9.5) and 52.45(8.6)and OCT 53.04(8.0) and 53.83(8.2) respectively.Pretest anxiety was less in follow-up patients of both groups(Group A-51.04,Group B-52.72).There was no statistically significant difference between the groups(pretest p = 0.52,Intratest p = 0.15). Anxiety score was found to be significantly high in female participants(54.07,p = 0.01)and those without awareness(p < 0.001). Patients with education of graduation and above in group B had significantly lower anxiety scores(p = 0.007). Anxiety levels induced by both diagnostic modalities HFA and OCT appear to be similar and it does not affect the reliability indices.Anxiety score was higher in female participants and participants lacking disease awareness.

Public Awareness of Common Age-Related Eye Diseases in Northern Saudi Arabia.

This population-based descriptive survey was conducted on 411 Saudi adults aged 18-70 residing in Arar City,Saudi Arabia, over six months from September 2023. Random sampling was employed, and awareness levels were assessed using a pre-designed questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS, version 20.0; IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Armonk, NY). Among the 411 participants, 225 (54.7%) were aged 18-29 years, 312 (76%) were females, and 299 (72.6%) held a bachelor's degree or diploma. Regarding awareness, 71.3% knew about cataracts, but nearly half erroneously believed it could be treated solely medically. For diabetic retinopathy (DR), 366 (89%) recognized lifestyle modifications, and 378 (92%) understood screening as preventive measures. Most participants understood prevention methods for all four diseases, but misconceptions about treatment options were observed. Awareness of glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) was lower. No significant age-related differences were found in awareness, except for cataracts (P = 0.001). Education significantly influenced awareness of cataracts, DR, and glaucoma (P = 0.001, 0.013, and 0.008, respectively), but not ARMD (P = 0.606). The study found that the internet is the primary source of information on AREDs for most participants, except for cataracts, where friends and relatives are prominent. The study reveals varying awareness levels of AREDs among Saudi adults. Although most participants understood preventive measures, misconceptions about treatment underscore the need for accurate education channels. Healthcare professionals must ensure information reliability to effectively combat misinformation and enhance awareness of AREDs.

An interventional study on awareness, knowledge and services provided for the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma by optometrists in primary healthcare centre of Kolar district

Aim of this study was to assess the awareness, knowledge services provided for glaucoma among optometrists at primary health care.A cross-sectional questionnaire based study involving 36 Optometrists from Primary Healthcare Centre and government hospitals of Kolar and Chikkaballapur district, who participated in the ‘World Glaucoma awareness program’. The responses were compiled and analyzed for each category of questions using paired t test.Out of 36 participants 31 (86.11%) were males and 5 (13.89%) were females with an average age of 39.42+10.5 years and average duration of service in PHC/CHC/Taluk Hospital was 14.08 years. Among them 88.9% were aware about glaucoma being a disease due to increased intra ocular pressure (IOP). Although 69.4% knew that it leads to irreversible blindness, 75% were unaware of the symptoms that glaucoma presents with. 53% were unaware of the normal IOP of the eye and 41.7% the test to detect the same. 33.3% of hospitals had Shiotz tonometer but only 22.2% were aware of testing the IOP and peripheral visual field for diagnosing glaucoma. 61.1% were not familiar with any antiglaucoma drug and 52.8% about the duration of treatment. Post-test analysis was statistically significant with respect to the Awareness, Knowledge and Services (P=0.001, P=0.001, P=0.001).This study reveals the lacunae and highlights the importance of routine eye examination of rural population by Optometrists for early detection of glaucoma through improved services and timely referral to Ophthalmologists for further evaluation, thereby reducing the burden of visual impairment.

Factors limiting glaucoma care among glaucoma patients in Nigeria: A scoping review.

Glaucoma currently accounts for 11% of irreversible visual loss worldwide. Due to many factors, patients do not access the glaucoma care pathway and present late with poor vision, while many are undiagnosed or untreated. These factors may be personal-level dispositions or Institutional-level dispositions, limiting the awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of glaucoma or adherence to medications or follow-up clinic visits. This scoping review followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and was pre-registered on the open science platform (https://osf.io/wqx57/?view_only=727eb6c803764509a2809e5d0794e214). The PUBMED, EMBASE, WEB OF SCIENCE, AJOL, and GOOGLE SCHOLAR databases were systematically searched for studies published in English between 1990 and June 2023. Data were extracted and analysed along a conceptualised framework of factors limiting access to glaucoma care in Nigeria. Of the 336 records retrieved, 13 studies were included in this scoping review. These included one (1) mixed method (quantitative/qualitative) study, three qualitative studies, and nine quantitative studies spanning 2008-2022 covering eight states and 2,643 sampled respondents. Nine studies reported personal-level dispositions limiting glaucoma care, including low levels of education, unemployment, gender, living distance from the hospital, cost of care, and faith/religion. Four reported institutional-level dispositions, including the lack of proper equipment and expertise to diagnose or manage glaucoma. The factors limiting Glaucoma care in Nigeria are varied and may act alone or combined with other elements to determine the awareness or knowledge of glaucoma, uptake of glaucoma surgery, medication adherence, or clinic follow-up. While most of these factors limiting glaucoma care in Nigeria may be amenable to policy, a bottom-up approach is needed to improve the community's awareness and uptake of glaucoma services. A shift from the over-dependence and reliance on tertiary hospitals, which are often far away from the people who need them, is required to bridge the information and service gap currently being witnessed.

Childhood glaucoma profile in a Southwestern Ethiopia tertiary care center: a retrospective study

BackgroundChildhood glaucoma is a major cause of childhood blindness worldwide. The profile of childhood glaucoma has not been well characterized in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, this study was designed to describe demographics, clinical features, managements of childhood glaucoma, and improvements in visual acuity (VA) and intraocular pressure (IOP) from baseline to final visit.MethodsThis retrospective study included glaucoma patients below 18 years old who were diagnosed between September 2019 to August 2022. Childhood glaucoma diagnosis and classification was made as per the Childhood Glaucoma Research Network Classification (CGRN).ResultsA total of 105 children (181 eyes) were diagnosed with glaucoma. The most common type of childhood glaucoma was primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) constituting (42%, n = 76 eyes, 95% confidence interval (CI), 34.7–49.5%; P = 0.037), followed by glaucoma suspect (22.1%, n = 40 eyes, 95% CI, 16.3–28.9%; P < 0.001) and juvenile open-angle glaucoma (JOAG) (15.5%, n = 28 eyes, 95% CI, 10.5–21.6%; P < 0.001). While the most common type of secondary glaucoma was steroid-induced glaucoma, followed by glaucoma following cataract surgery. Bilateral glaucoma was found in 72.4% (n = 76 children, 95% CI, 62.8–80.7%; P < 0.001) of children. In both primary and secondary glaucoma, boys were affected more than girls, in ratio of 2:1 and 2.7:1, respectively. The mean age at presentation for patients with PCG was 2.7 years. Close to 93.4% (71) of PCG eyes were managed surgically, of which majority underwent combined trabeculotomy and trabeculectomy (CTT). Most of secondary glaucoma cases were treated medically. Overall, 85.3% (111) of eyes had successful control of IOP ≤ 21 mmHg.ConclusionPCG was the most common type of childhood glaucoma. One of a well-recognized challenge in developing countries, late presentation of patients with PCG, was also observed in our study. Which highlights, the need of increasing access to eye-care service and awareness of childhood glaucoma as a major public health issue. Steroid-induced glaucoma was the most common type of secondary glaucoma; appropriate measures should be taken to prevent this preventable glaucoma.

Investigation of Knowledge, Awareness, and Practices of Glaucoma in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.

Background Glaucoma is a group of conditions characterized by progressive irreversible optic neuropathy, intraocular pressure as a modifiable risk factor, and, in many patients, visual field defects. Glaucoma has recently been classified as a neurodegenerative disorder of the optic nerve that results in the loss of retinal ganglion cells. This study evaluated levels of awareness of glaucoma in the general population of Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Methodology A pre-designed, pre-validated online questionnaire from previous studies was distributed to respondents via online social media platforms. Factors associated with awareness of glaucoma were analyzed statistically. Results Responses were received from 585 participants aged ≥18 years, including 309 (52.8%) men and 276 (47.2%) women. Gender, a diagnosis of glaucoma, a positive family history of glaucoma, and undergoing glaucoma screening were significantly associated with the level of glaucoma knowledge (p < 0.05 each). Age group (p = 0.587) and level of education (p = 0.136) were not significantly associated with the level of glaucoma knowledge. Conclusions The population of Riyadh City exhibited a low level of glaucoma awareness, indicating an urgent need for comprehensive ophthalmic health education initiatives aimed at enhancing public consciousness and awareness of glaucoma risks and complications.

Glaucoma care and surgical management in Azerbaijan

Glaucoma accounts for 14.5%–18.7% in the nosological structure of blindness and low vision in Azerbaijan, and for 13.4% in the structure of primary disability. In 2000 the prevalence of glaucoma in Azerbaijan was 0.1 per 10 000 people, in 2005–0.8 per 10 000 people. The overall reported incidence rate of glaucoma in the Republic of Azerbaijan is characterized by an increase of 15.4% for the period from 2001 to 2010 year. In order to organize and provide free comprehensive ophthalmological care in several remote regions of Azerbaijan, in 2015 a National Program “Identification and dispensary registration of glaucoma patients in various regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan” was created. Currently, 23 756 glaucoma patients are included in the official dispensary register.Due to the lack of a unified statutory health insurance system before 2021 year with limited access to comprehensive glaucoma care and irregular follow‐up outside urban areas, as well as insufficient awareness of this disease in the general population, almost one third of all new diagnosed glaucoma patients in different remote regions of Azerbaijan in 2010–2020 years had already an advanced or end stage glaucoma in one or even in both eyes. That increased the percentage (69.8%) of performed traditional penetrating glaucoma surgeries or cyclophotocoagulation procedures, in 30.2% cases non‐penetrating/micro‐invasive glaucoma surgeries, glaucoma drainage device implantation or combined cataract‐glaucoma surgeries were performed.The aim of this study is to evaluate the features of glaucoma surgical management and to present a model of glaucoma care in Azerbaijan. A developed model for comprehensive glaucoma care and glaucoma surgical management with regularly monitoring of IOP and carry on local glaucoma awareness programs in different regions of our country could provide early disease detection, dispensary registration of the patients, optimal treatment strategy with the use of different minimal invasive surgeries and prevent glaucoma related irreversible blindness in Azerbaijan.Keywords: glaucoma awareness; glaucoma surgery; glaucoma drainage devices; trabeculectomy.

Online resources for glaucoma awareness.

Online resources for glaucoma awareness.

AWARENESS OF GLAUCOMA AMONG RISK GROUP PATIENTS IN GEORGIA

Objectives:This study aimed to estimate awareness of Glaucoma among risk group patients in the outpatient settings of Tbilisi (capital of Georgia). Methods:To assess general, basic knowledge about glaucoma through direct interviewing of patients, 224 respondents in risk groups for developing Glaucoma were studied using the awareness questionnaire provided by the American National Eye Institute (NEI). Results:The total awareness score for the entire group was 3.7, corresponding to a low awareness level. The study results show that the recognition rate does not differ by gender the mean score in females was 3.9 ± 1.6, and in males - 3.5 ± 1.8. The study results show that the level of awareness varies significantly depending on the level of education. The very low awareness rate is significantly high among individuals with secondary education. However, no significant differences between the groups were observed in the responses to individual questions. Conclusions:Individuals with a high-risk factor for Glaucoma and people with a family history of Glaucoma should be educated about it and screened for it as early as possible. Glaucoma awareness needs to be raised. Public awareness campaigns, whether seminars, flyers, websites, or posters, can reach the public and show them the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to prevent blindness from glaucoma.